Each Wednesday between now and the end of the year, we're going to look at one of the reasons the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. So far, we've seen that Jesus came:

1. To save His people from their sins. [Mt 1:18-25]
2. To demonstrate the love of God. [Rom 5:6-8]
3. To destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]
4. To give His life as a ransom for many. [Mt 20:25-28]
5. To fulfill the law. [Mt 5:17]
6. To bring judgment. [John 9:39-41]
7. To establish and everlasting kingdom. [Dan 7:13-14]
8. To give us understanding. [1 John 5:20]
9. To become our Great High Priest. [Hebrews 4:14-16]

You can read each of the previous entries in this series by clicking on this link. This week, we learn that Christ was born:

10. To glorify God. [John 13:31-32]

     [31] When He had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. [32] If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him at once." [John 13:31-32]

Several hundred years ago, a group of God-honoring men got together and searched the Scriptures in an attempt to answer (among others) one very important question: “What is the chief end of man?” Or, to put it in modern-day language: “What is the meaning of our lives?”

The answer that they found Scripture confirming over and over again was put like this: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” That means that the purpose of your life, of my life, of each and every thing in the cosmos, is to glorify God.

“The great end for which we were made is to worship and glorify God; and that which renders this worship our indispensable duty is the nature and being of God Himself,” says Owen. “There are, indeed, some acts of religious worship which chiefly respect what God is to us, or has done for us; but the principal and adequate reason of all divine worship, and that which makes it such, is what God is, in Himself.” (1) In other words, everything exists to glorify God because of who God is. And if the purpose of everything is to glorify God, then the chief end of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ is for the glory of God as well.

This is what Jesus meant when, facing the cross, He said that “now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” [John 13:31] In many other places in John’s gospel, Jesus speaks of how His life and death and life again are for the glory of the Father (see John 12:23, 12:28, 15:8, 17:4, et al.)

The Bible tells us that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him.” [Hebrews 12:2] Now, we know for certain that the cross itself was not a joyful experience. Not only did it involve the intense physical agony of being beaten and punched and stabbed and spit on and slowly dying by asphyxiation, but it also involved the humiliation of hanging naked in front of a large crowd who hurled insults and mocked Him. Worse than all that, however, was the wrath of God that Jesus endured for us. Remember, He became sin for us, that He might be the propitiation for our sin. He willingly laid down His life as a ransom for us.

And yet, we read in Hebrews 12 that Jesus despised the shame of the cross and endured it for the joy set before Him. This joy not only included being elevated to the right hand of the Father, which He was, but also glorifying God. This is the heart of what Jesus was saying as He prayed to the Father right before His death:

[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [4] I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. [John 17:1-5]

God is glorified by Jesus’ perfect submission and obedience—just as He is glorified by our submission and obedience to the Lordship of Christ. Christ went to the cross for the joy set before Him, and we are likewise to obey God and yield to His will because of the joy set before us: our inheritance of eternal life in His presence.

And do you know what we will realize in that eternal life? The glory of God is the most important thing in the universe. It is more real, more true, more worthy than we can possibly imagine. When we see Jesus face to face, our reaction will be exactly how the apostle John described it:

[11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, [12] saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” [13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” [Revelation 5:11-13]

“Many people are willing to say that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” explains Piper. “But by and large they consider the enjoyment of God optional and do not understand that the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” (2) Thankfully, Jesus perfectly demonstrates this for us. The Father is glorified in the Son and the Son is glorified by the Father and the Spirit, so that the glory of God will never diminish or fade.

___________________

(1) John Owen, The Holy Spirit, 61
(2) John Piper, The Supremacy of God In Preaching, 79

Time Travel Tuesday #74
Here I am getting my first official barber shop haircut back in May of 1982. Doing the honors is Ray Cooper, who used to have a shop in Iroquois Manor. Don't I look happy to be there?

Each Wednesday between now and the end of the year, we're going to look at one of the reasons the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. So far, we've seen that Jesus came:

1. To save His people from their sins. [Mt 1:18-25]
2. To demonstrate the love of God. [Rom 5:6-8]
3. To destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]
4. To give His life as a ransom for many. [Mt 20:25-28]
5. To fulfill the law. [Mt 5:17]
6. To bring judgment. [John 9:39-41]
7. To establish and everlasting kingdom. [Dan 7:13-14]
8. To give us understanding. [1 John 5:20]

You can read each of the previous entries in this series by clicking on this link. This week, we learn that Christ was born:

9. To become our Great High Priest. [Hebrews 4:14-16]

     [14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.[Hebrews 4:14-16]

Throughout the Old Testament, a system of priests was necessary to mediate between the holy God and sinful people. God instituted this priesthood through the line of Levi and it continued throughout the entirety of the old covenant. One of the priests’ main functions would be to offer animal sacrifices to God on behalf of the people as atonement for sin. This culminated once each year when the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies—the place where God’s glory dwelt—and offer the blood of a lamb for the forgiveness of sin.

This went on for hundreds of years. But there was a fundamental flaw in the system. Even though God instituted it, He was clear that it was not a permanent solution for the problem of humanity’s sin. Why not? Two reasons: first, each priest had to first make a sacrifice to atone for their own personal sin. They were not perfect. Second, the blood used was from an animal, and while it was innocent blood, it could not substitute for human blood. Blood represents life, and the shedding of blood results in death. And “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” [Hebrews 9:22]

Christ, however, solves both of these dilemmas. He lives a sin-free life and therefore has not atonement to make for Himself. He can enter into God’s presence on the basis of His own perfect righteousness. And because He has innocent blood—which is also human blood—it is accepted by God as the necessary sacrifice to atone for the guilt of human sin.

“Because of Christ’s saving work, it is now possible for those who believe on Him to approach God directly,” Boice and Ryken explain. “The people of God could not do this before Christ’s death. They needed to approach God indirectly, asking a priest to intercede for them. But now the way is open for everybody.” (1) Jesus meets the righteous requirements for entering God’s presence, and since His righteousness is credited to His people, they share that same access to the Father.

This is, in part, what Peter means when he refers to all Christians as “a royal priesthood.” [1 Peter 2:9] It’s not that we have the right to enter God’s presence by our own merit, but we can approach God directly—based on the merit of the one true High Priest; the one true Mediator: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all...” [1 Timothy 2:5-6]

Sadly, this is one of the areas where the Roman Catholic Church has traditionally misunderstood the nature of Christ’s work. “If Christ has done everything necessary as our great high priest to wash away our sins, cleanse our consciences and bring us to God, why do we need an additional human priest to be inserted into the process—unless there is something unfinished or inadequate about Christ’s priesthood?,” asks Galea. “Why create a class of indispensible human priests to stand between us and Christ, when the New Testament knows nothing of the idea?” (2)

The reason we no longer need a system of earthly priests to mediate for us is two-fold: one, Jesus accomplished once and for all the work required to give us access to God (which He shares with us through our union with Him) and, two, Jesus still fills the priestly role, and will do so eternally. “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” [Hebrews 7:25] Since there was nothing lacking in Jesus’ qualifications as either High Priest or Passover Lamb, and since death therefore has no claim on Him, He remains our forever High Priest.

“Our approach in worship is not to an earthly sanctuary, for we enter God’s presence with Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest,” says Clowney. “The blood of Christ, sprinkled on the very throne of God is the assurance of our pardon. Our worship is not less supernatural than the experience of Israel in the wilderness. It is infinitely more so. We have emerged from the shadows into the reality.” (3)

___________________

(1) James Montgomery Boice & Phillip Graham Ryken, Jesus on Trial, 112
(2) Ray Galea, Nothing in My Hand I Bring, 35
(3) Edmund P. Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery, 100

Next week: John 13:31-32

Time Travel Tuesday #73
Merry Christmas from 1991!

Many of you already know the content of the following announcement, but I wanted to post it here for anyone who hasn't heard. I'm also asking everyone to keep praying for us, and I've included some specific requests below:

After several meetings, and much prayer and consideration, last month I decided to accept the call to become the senior pastor at Central Baptist Church in Maysville, KY. (This is a town of about 10,000 located a bit more than two hours northeast of Louisville, on the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH and Huntington, WV.) Thank you to everyone who prayed for Tricia and I during this process!

Although I have officially taken the position, my family and I will not be moving there right away, as we are going to try and sell our current house before we go. Once we move we will be going down to one income and living in the church parsonage, where Tricia will be staying home with the boys. She and I also want to help our current workplaces transition as smoothly as possible before we leave.

So, this is a unique situation in that I have been called to be the pastor of a church, and have accepted that call, but will not actually be with the congregation for a few months. Because of the way this is working out, I would appreciate your prayers during this time. If you are willing, here are four things I would humbly ask you to specifically pray with us about:

1) Pray that everyone involved (Tricia and I, Central, and Parkwood) would rest in God’s providence and timing during this transition. Our preference is for our house to sell quickly, but our ultimate desire is to be ‘prayerfully patient’ and trust that the Lord will orchestrate this move in the ways and times of His choosing—and to trust that His way is the best possible way.

2) Pray that I will be able to begin to integrate myself into the lives of the people at Central, even from a distance, in anticipation of being with them in the future. Pray that God would give me a deep compassion and love for this congregation and their community. Pray also that I will be able to serve faithfully at Parkwood through every moment I remain there, and that I would be able to balance these dual responsibilities during this time. Pray for Tricia and the boys during this transition time as well, that they would adjust easily to the many changes that will be taking place in our lives.

3) Pray for Bro. Bob Donovan who will soon be retiring as pastor at Central, and who will continue preaching until I am able to assume that position. Pray that God will grant him the energy and stamina to match the loving heart he clearly has for the people of Central as he enters his 16th year of service there. Pray also for the leadership at Parkwood, as they are already searching for a music minister and will soon be looking to fill my positions as well.

4) Above all, pray that Christ would continue working in the people of both Central and Parkwood, establishing His kingdom by calling people to Himself, and equipping people to serve Him faithfully by building up His body. Pray that He would be glorified in all things, including our lives.

I sincerely appreciate your prayers for my family and I, and I will keep you updated as we make steps toward moving to Maysville. I consider it a great privilege to have so many brothers and sisters in Christ who will intercede on our behalf, and I am honored by your prayers.

In Him,
mark 

Each Wednesday between now and the end of the year, we're going to look at one of the reasons the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. So far, we've seen that Jesus came:

1. To save His people from their sins. [Mt 1:18-25]
2. To demonstrate the love of God. [Rom 5:6-8]
3. To destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]
4. To give His life as a ransom for many. [Mt 20:25-28]
5. To fulfill the law. [Mt 5:17]
6. To bring judgment. [John 9:39-41]
7. To establish and everlasting kingdom. [Dan 7:13-14]

You can read each of the previous entries in this series by clicking on this link. This week, we learn that Christ was born:

8. To give us understanding. [1 John 5:20]

     [20] And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. [1 John 5:20]

There was one point during Jesus’ ministry that He asked His disciples who other people were saying that He was. They responded by saying that people were claiming Jesus was a prophet of God; a messenger in the tradition of Elijah or John the Baptist. Then, Jesus asked them directly: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

What’s interesting to note is Jesus’ response. He doesn’t pat Peter on the back and say “good job” or congratulate him on solving the mystery. Instead, Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” [Matthew 16:17] As Ware rightly says: “The Father is the sovereign Revealer of truth to those whom He chooses and the Withholder of that revelation from others, as He so chooses.” (1)

The truth that Jesus was teaching to Peter (and to us) is a very important one because it reveals that any true understanding of Christ comes from God alone. “Use your reason, use your intellect; do so honestly, and you will come to the conclusion that there is a limit to reason,” explains Lloyd-Jones. “And then wait. It is at that point that God in His infinite grace and kindness meets us in revelation.” (2) The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:

[1] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, [2] but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs. [Hebrews 1:1-4]

What John is telling us then, is that because Jesus is the Son of God—indeed, is God Himself—He is able to give us a genuine understanding about God that we did not have before. The people of God in the Old Covenant knew God, and knew many things about God from the Scripture. But the fullest and best revelation of God was yet to come; we see God’s ‘final word’ (so to speak) coming through Jesus Christ.

The message and ministry of Jesus point to one inescapable, irrefutable fact: “He is the true God and eternal life.” [1 John 5:20] This reality is so clear to John that he can also make this statement with full authority and confidence: “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” [1 John 5:11-12]

The point is that what God did through the person and work of Jesus Christ is so unique, so magnificent, so wonderful, that all of eternal life is wrapped up in Him. The law and prophets and fulfilled in Him. In other words, “all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.” [2 Corinthians 1:20] He is truly the Light of the World and He illuminates our hearts and minds, giving us the best understanding of the true God.

___________________

(1) Bruce A. Ware, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, 49
(2) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Authority, 13

Next week: Hebrews 4:14-16

Time Travel Tuesday #72
Here I am getting off the bus after my first day of kindergarten at Kenwood Elementary School back on September 3, 1981. That was also the first time I rode a school bus--which I guess is obvious, because why would anyone ride a school bus before they started attending school?

Each Wednesday between now and the end of the year, we're going to look at one of the reasons the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. So far, we've seen that Jesus came:

1. To save His people from their sins. [Mt 1:18-25]
2. To demonstrate the love of God. [Rom 5:6-8]
3. To destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]
4. To give His life as a ransom for many. [Mt 20:25-28]
5. To fulfill the law. [Mt 5:17]
6. To bring judgment. [John 9:39-41]

You can read each of the previous entries in this series by clicking on this link. This week, we learn that Christ was born:

7. To establish an everlasting kingdom. [Dan 7:13-14]

     [13]…behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. [14] And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” [Daniel 7:13-14]

Empires rise and fall in the blink of an eye. Rulers come and go like the ever-flowing tides. Throughout the ages, this world has seen mighty kingdoms—Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek,    Persian, Incan, Spanish—but where are they now? Most are gone completely; others are mere shells of their former reign. Perhaps the only constant is that no one group or empire has been able to rule for very long in the scope of human history.

This is why God’s promises to establish an eternal kingdom are often met with skepticism or disbelief. How can anyone rule forever? But this problem is resolved if the one who rules is also the one who has all of the authority and power. Every earthly empire has fallen because it either become corrupt from within or was attacked by a stronger power from without. But if a kingdom had no evil or corruption, and if no force could oppose it, then it could stand forever. This is exactly what God has promised will happen.

In Daniel 7, we see the image of the Ancient of Days (God) presenting total authority to “one like a son of man.” [Dan 7:13] Remember that in the time of Daniel’s vision, authority was held by men like King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, but even his kingdom was limited. The kingdom given to this ‘son of man,’ however, is “an everlasting dominion.” [Dan 7:14]

Jesus claims that He is the fulfillment of this vision. In fact, when asked directly whether or not He is the Christ, Jesus says: “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” [Mk 14:62] The reaction of His audience was to condemn Him to death: they knew that He was applying the prophecy of Daniel to Himself.

In fact, Jesus refers to Himself as ‘son of man’ more often than with any other title. While this could simply mean that He is a human (and not God, as in the case of its use in Ezekiel), it could also convey the meaning expressed in Daniel: the divine being who has His dwelling place with the Ancient of Days. “With this name Jesus intends to distinguish Himself from and position Himself above all other humans,” explains Bavinck. “The name also undoubtedly implies that He was truly human, yet it simultaneously expresses the fact that He occupies an utterly unique place among all humans.” (1)

“When people heard Jesus use the term ‘son of man’ for Himself, they had to decide which type of ‘son of man’ He was,” explains Duguid. “Technically He was both, but it took faith to believe He was like the ‘son of man’ in Daniel.” (2) Now, after the resurrection of Christ, we know that He is the true Son of Man, the one who declared “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” [Mt 28:18] and of whom Scripture testifies: “God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [Phil 2:9-11]

All authority has been given to Christ and will be His forever. Chester explains it like this:     “We do not invite people to make Jesus their King—we tell people that Jesus is the King and He will rule all of us forever. We do not invite people to meet Jesus—we tell people that they will meet Jesus as their conquering King. We do not ask people to live better lives and make the world a better place—we command people to repent and submit to the coming King.” (3)

___________________

(1) Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, 250
(2) Iain M. Duguid, ESV Study Bible notes on Daniel 7:13-14
(3) Tim Chester, From Creation to New Creation, 133

Next week: 1 John 5:20

Time Travel Tuesday #71
And now, for your reading delight, a Time Travel Tuesday poem:

Amongst a gath'ring of dear family and friends,
the third birthday festivities soon would begin,
But, oh! What does that largely-wrapped present portend?*
Yes! Three-wheeled wonder and adventures without end!

*To 'portend' means to 'foreshadow' or 'indicate.' Now, I'm not saying I used that word as a three-year old...but I'm not saying I didn't use that word as a three-year old, either.  :)

This past Saturday, I took the youth to the Winter Wonder Slam concert at Broadbent Arena featuring TobyMac, Skillet, and Shonlock. It was an awesome show from everyone, but to me Skillet was far and away the best of the bunch. They put on a powerful concert from start to finish--even somehow managing to work in an acoustic version of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Our seats weren't too bad, so here are some pictures from the night:

Merry Christmas! I know that we've still got a few days left between now and the 25th, but our celebration got a head-start yesterday as Tricia gave me my present: a 42" Phillips HDTV! I was completely surprised, as I thought she had been unable to get one on her Black Friday shopping spree, but it turns out she is sneakier than I thought! She ordered one on Black Friday and it came in yesterday. She didn't want to wait another 22 days (and I think her head would have exploded from trying to keep the secret!) so we went ahead and hooked it up last night! The picture quality is amazing...we watched an episode of Planet Earth on Blu-Ray and it was like actually being there! (Well, I guess we are really there since we live on the planet and all, but I think you know what I mean!) Ethan really enjoyed watching the animals in HD too! I can't wait to see some NFL on it this weekend! Thanks to Tricia for an excellent gift...and for just being an all-around awesome wife!

Also, thanks to you for helping this website get to 19,000 hits! I enjoy writing this blog and the reviews (up to 255 books now!), and it's nice to see people stopping by to do some reading. Stay tuned in 2011, because I'm going to start thanking you with some free prizes!

Each Wednesday between now and the end of the year, we're going to look at one of the reasons the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. So far, we've seen that Jesus came:

1. To save His people from their sins. [Mt 1:18-25]
2. To demonstrate the love of God. [Rom 5:6-8]
3. To destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]
4. To give His life as a ransom for many. [Mt 20:25-28]
5. To fulfill the law. [Mt 5:17]

You can read each of the previous entries in this series by clicking on this link. This week, we learn that Christ was born:

6. To bring judgment. [John 9:39-41]

     [39] Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. [40] Some of the Pharisees near Him heard these things, and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” [41] Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.” [John 9:39-41]

If we have a problem with the idea of God judging us, then it’s because we don’t understand the truth about God. He will judge sin. He must judge sin. What else would we expect from holiness? How else can a sin-less God respond in the face of blatant sin?

Part of the work Jesus did while on earth was to open the spiritual eyes of people to the truth of God’s Word. He certainly opened physical eyes as well, restoring blindness like He did for the man born blind in John 9, but that was merely an external symbol of what He could do internally: make “those who do not see [to] see.” [John 9:39]

But who are the ones who think they can see—but are actually blind? Jesus often had harsh words for the people who claimed to be closest to God. Their lips said one thing but their lives told a different story. In fact, they were so wrapped up in their outward observances of rules and rituals that they failed to even recognize Jesus as God’s promised Messiah. So Jesus says they are guilty; they think they can see, but they can’t.

As Borchert explains: “Both the blind man and the Pharisees here stood uncovered in the presence of Jesus. The blind man’s eyes were opened, but the lives of the Pharisees were clearly declared to be blind. Their guilt was confirmed.” (1)

See, the Bible teaches that we all have at least some knowledge of God. Even those who have never heard the gospel are accountable because God’s “eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” [Romans 1:20] Even more accountable are those who have heard the message of Christ and deliberately reject it, as the writer of Hebrews details:

[26] For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. [28] Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. [29] How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” [31] It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:26-31]

When Jesus says that their “guilt remains,” He is saying that they are still under the judgment of God; a judgment that He came to bring. But how does Jesus coming to bring judgment fit with everything else we’ve talked about in this series? How can He come to save people and bring judgment? Because rejecting Christ’s gospel is the same as subjecting yourself to judgment. If we reject God’s means of peace, there is no other option but to receive His punishment. There is no ‘middle ground’ or ‘gray area’ when it comes to judgment.

God has provided a way out, but it is the only way, and rejecting His provision always ends by receiving His wrath. “We cannot set the terms of our relationship with God,” says Duguid. “The terms of the covenant are not negotiable…You can accept the covenant relationship on His terms and receive its benefits, or you can refuse it and face the consequences.” (2) Since He is God, He gets to set the rules. And it should be noted that God keeps those rules as well. When His own Son took on sin for His people, God did not suddenly decided that sin shouldn’t be punished or that the penalty should be lessened—no, sin was punished and the penalty was death. It was true for Christ, and it will be true for us.

In that sense, the full and final judgment of Christ is yet to occur. Many people reject Christ as the only way to God. They refuse to accept the help and hope He offers. They turn their backs on His blood and harden their hearts against the truth. God’s Word is clear: anyone who enters eternity in such a state will find themselves bearing God’s wrath forever. Listen to what Jesus said:

[22] The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, [23] that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. [24] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. [John 5:22-24]

So Jesus is the one who will judge people, and according to His own words, the only criteria He will judge people on is whether or not they honor Him. How do we honor Him? By hearing the word and believing—placing our faith and trust in Christ alone.

Make no mistake: Christ will judge. He came to bring judgment, and there is no escape from that day. You and I will each stand before Him and be judged. In that moment, our only hope of life is our faith in Christ. Not our good works, not our religious heritage, not our Sunday school attendance pins or giving records or years of service. No, our only hope is Christ alone. If He is the object of our faith, we will be saved.

___________________

(1) Gerald L. Borchert, New American Commentary Series: John 1-11, 326
(2) Iain M. Duguid, Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality: The Gospel According to Abraham, 75

Next week: Daniel 7:13-14